Call it non-stop living.

Here's my secret. I retired without retiring. In the sense that I have remained active. Mentally. Physically. In fact, more than before so-called retirement. When I was a journalist. A writer. For a daily newspaper. Turns out. I never gave up writing. In fact, I continued to write. More than ever. The difference being. I now write strictly my way. Never by the dictates of a boss/editor. Nobody clears what I write. Little wonder.  I've developed a unique style. In the process, I've become more my real self. More free. More uninhibited. It's carried over into other meaningful aspects of my life. I've become  a romantic idealist. A spiritual free-thinker. A political liberal. A lover. A dreamer. Not sure that I was all that. Before retirement. Instead, I've taken the time to cultivate a more creative way of life.  My primary motivation. For retiring. Was to care for my dear sweet wife. Jeanne. After she became riddled with Alzheimer's. Indeed. The role of care-giver isn't exactly what one would call retirement. It's more active, more meaningful lifestyle. And since Jeanne died, I have become enamored. With a second true love. My lovely and adorable amore mio. In Italy. We cavort back and forth. Between Sardinia and Minnesota. I've become a world traveler. Learning to live a day at a time. Savoring the now. The precious moments. And not least, becoming a man in almost perpetual motion. Walking. Walking, Walking. Biking. Biking. Biking. Writing. Writing. Writing. Yes, call retirement a form of non-stop living. Don't even intend to take time to die. --Jim Broede